Film splicer



Aug. 7, 1923.. 115464265 F. C. GRHSOLD FILM SPLICER Filed March 22, 19,22 5 Sheets-Sheet l E] y .L

Aug. 7, M23.,

IF. C. GRISWOLD FILM SPLICER Filed March 22, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 7, H923. lAZS F. C. GRISWOLD FILM SPLICER Filed March 22, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 l 1 l l nnnn FREDERICK CLARK GRISWOLD, OF PORT JEFFERSON, NEW YORK, SSIGNOR TO OLIVE A. 'GR1SJVOLD, OF PORT JEFFERSON, NEW YORK. I

FILM SPLIClER.

.Application filed March 22, 1922. Serial No. 545,785.

To all whom t may concern 'Be it known that I, F REDERIOK CLARK GRrswoLD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Port Jefferson, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York, have invented a new and useful lfmprovement in Film Splicers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in the construction, form and arrangement of the several parts of a `film Asplicer of the type illustrated in my United States Letters Patent No. 1,356,761, dated October 26, 1920, whereby the film sections to be joined may be moved to reduce the overlap and whereby the separate presser bar and its latch may be eliminated.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 represents the film splicer in top plan with one of the film clamps raised and the other film clamp lowered.

Fig. 2 represents a detail section taken in the plane of the line Il--llf of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents a detail section taken in the plane of the line Ilf--flllf of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 represents the machine in perspective with the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 1, after the projecting end of one of the film sections has been trimmed by the knife on the film clamp which is shown raised.

Fig. 5 represents a section taken in the plane of the line V-V of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 represents a detail section taken in the plane of the line VI-Vl of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 represents a detail section taken in the plane of the line Vfl-VH of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 represents a front view of the machine with the right-hand lm clamp raised.

Fig. 9 represents a section taken in the plane of the line lfX-fX of Fig. 1 with both film clamps lowered.

Fig. 10 represents a transverse section taken in the plane of the line X-X of Fig. 9 with the upper jaw of the left hand film clamp raised.

Fig. 11 represents the trimmed ends of adjacent film sections separated.

Fig. 12 represents the trimmed ends of adj acent film sections united.

Fig. 13 represents a 'detail section on an enlarged scale of the shear block and adjacent parts.

The base of the machine is denoted by 1. Lugs 2, 3, 4 and 5 uprise from the base at the back thereof, which lugs form supports for alined endwise yielding rock shafts 6 and 7 which form hinge supports for the film clamps to be hereinafter described. The rock shaft 6 is provided with a cam 8 and the rock shaft 7 is provided with a cam 9, which cams are located exterior to the lugs 2 and 5 respectively -with their cam faces inward. A cam bar 1,0 is slidably mounted in the uprising lugs 2 and 5, and the base of the uprising lugsv 3 and 4 with the ends of the bar 10 projecting into engagement with the faces of the cams 8 and 9. A double shear block 11 is seated at its rear end between the lugs 3 and 4, and at its front end between lugs 12 and 1 3 uprising from the front of the base 1. This shear block'has a flat horizontal top face on which the trimmed overlapping ends of the film sections are united.

The upper and lower jaws of the left hand film clamp are denoted by 14 and 15, Said upper and lower jaws being loosely mounted on the rock shaft 6. This lefthand film clamp may be connected to the rock shaft for rocking it `by means of an arm 16 fast on the shaft, arranged in position to be engaged by the lower jaw 15 of the clamp. The upper and lower jaws 14 and 15 of the film clamp are rovided with suitable haudles 17 and 18,-t e handle 17 being provided with a spring catch 19 which serves the double function of locking the two jaws together and of locking the clamp to its adjustable stop 20.

The lower jaw 15 is provided with a shear blade 21, arranged to coact with the adjacent side of the shear block 11 for trimming off the rough projecting end of the film section carried by the right hand film clamp.

The right hand film clamp comprises the upper and lower jaws 22, 23, the upper jaw being loosely mounted on the rock shaft 7 and the lower jaw being fiXedly mounted thereon. .These upper and lower jaws are provided with handles 24, 25, the handle 24 being provided with a spring catch 26 which serves thedouble function of locking th-e two jaws together and of locking the clamp with a shear blade 28 which is arranged to coact with its adjacent side of the shear llO A block 11 for trimming oi the rough projecting end of the film section carried by the left hand film clamp. A

The lower jaws of the two film clamps are channeled along their upper faces to pr0- vide guides for Vreceiving the film sections adjacent the ends to be united, registering pins 29 being provided for engagin the perforations along the film sections, t e upper jaws being provided with holes for'receiving the registering pins when the jaws are closed.

Combined guards and guides 30, 30'* are respectively secured to the upper jaw 14 of the left hand clamp and the lower jaw 23V of the right hand clamp, which guards and guides are respectively provided Awith downwardly and upwardly turned lips 31, 31",

arranged to bear against the film sections a short distance back from their trimmed ends. These guards and guides serve two purposes; first, to limit the distance back that the emulsion is to be scraped off from a film section, and second, to prevent the.

spreading of the cement along the film section beyond the overlapping ends of the film sections.

A spring presser blade 32 is secured to the upper jaw of the right hand film clamp in the present instance, which springpresser blade is provided with a downwardly turned lip 33, forming a knife edge arrangedto press the overlapping ends of the film Sections together on the shear block after the cement has been applied.

Lighting means, suchfor instance as an electric' lamp 34 is mounted in the base 1 of the machine beneaththe shear block. This lighting means will materially assist in the proper matching up of the film sections and also in manipulating the same.

Thebase may also be provided with a reservoir 35 for the reception of the cement. Springs 36, 37 are provided for yieldingly holding the cams 8 and 9 pressed against the ends of the cam bar l0, which springs also serve to yieldingly hold the film clampsl at the limit of their lateral movement toward the shear block.

In splicing film sections together, the'cycle of operations'may b as follows The left hand film clamp ma be raised and the upper jaw of the rlght and cla-mp may be raised sufiiciently to permit the placing of the right hand film section in position on the lower jaw, with the end of the film section to be trimmed projectin the required distance lbeyond the shear b ock.

The upper jaw of the right hand section is then closed, the presser blade carried by the upper jaw serving to hold the end of the film sect-ion snugly on the top of the shear block. The left hand film clamp is then lowered, thereby causing its shear blade 21 to trim the projecting end of the film section.

The right hand film clamp is then raised and the other film section is properly positioned in the left hand film clamp with the end projecting beyond the shear block, the combined spring guard and guide serving to hold the film firmly on the top of the shear blade. Theright hand film clamp is then lowered, thereby causing its shear blade 28 to trim the projecting end of the film section. This will leave the end of the two film sections overlapping on the top face of the shear block. The right hand clamp may, then be swung back and the emulsion removed from the top surface of the projecting end of the film section held by the left hand film clamp, the combined guard and guide serving to prevent the emulsion from being removed too far back from the end of the film section. The oement may then be applied to the exposed surface of the film section, the combined guard and guide in this instancejpreventing the cement from spreading too far back from the end. The right hand film clamp may then belowered, thus bringing the exposedend of its film section onto the exposed end of the otherl film section and also bringing the knife edge of the .presser blade into engagement with the top overlapping lm end to press the overlapping film ends together along a. median` line. This knife edge engagement of the presser blade will prevent the cement from being equeezed out of the joint between the overlapping ends as is a common fault where a presser bar of considerable width h-as been used. After the lfilm ends have been firmly united, the two upper jaws are opened to permit the removal of the united film sections.

The' function of the alined endwise movable rock shafts 6 and 7, which form the pivots for the film clamps is to cause the right and left film clamps to be moved a short distance laterally away from the shear block to lessen the overlap between the trimmed ends of the film sections. This is accomplished by the coaction of the cams 8 and 9 with the endwise movable cam bar 10, the relationship between the ends of the cam bar and the cams 8 and 9 being such that when both film clamps are fully lowered, both ends of the cam bar are engaged by the raised portions of the cams to move the film clamps away from the shear block. 'When one film clamp is fully lowered and the other film clamp is' being lowered to trim the projecting end of the film, the ends of the cam bar. will be o posite the depressed portions of the cams, t us causing ,the shear blade to snuglyengage its side of the shear block during the trimmin operation.

While the operation o the machine has been described in connection with uniting two film sections, it isb obvious that it might be employed for cutting out a portion of a lil incassa film and joining the remaining portions or it might be used for joining the ends of two different films.

4It is evident that various changes may be resorted to in the construction, form and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention; hence I do not wish to be limited to the details herein shown and described, but what I claim is 1. In a film lsplicer, a double shear block, a pair of independently swinging film clampsarranged to alternately coact with the shear block to so trim the film sections as to leave overlapping ends, and means for automatically movingr the clamps laterally away from the shear block to lessen the o ver- 'lap of the film ends.

2. In a film splicer, a double shear block, a pair of independently swinging film clamps arranged to alternately coact with the shear block to so trim the film sections as to leave. overlapping ends, means for automatically moving the clamps laterally away from the shear lblock to lessen the overlap of the film ends, said means including alined endwise yielding rock shafts forming hinged supports for the film clamps, cams on said shafts, and an endwise movable cam bar actuated by said cams.

3. In a film splicer, a double shear block, a pair of independently swinging film clamps arranged to alternately coact with the shear block to so trim the film sections as to leave overlapping ends, means for automatically moving the clamps laterally away from the shear block to lessen the overlap of the film ends, said Ineans including alined endwise yieldin rock shafts forming hinged supports for t e film clamps, camsl on said shafts, and an endwise movable cam bar actuated by said cams, the lower jaw of one clampbeing fast on its shaft and the lower aw of the other clamp having a lost motion connection with its shaft.

4. In a film splicer, a double shear block, a pair of independentlyT swinging film clamps arranged to alternately coact with the shear block to so trim the film sections as to leave overlapping ends, means for automatically moving the clamps laterally away from the shear block to lessen the overlap of the film ends, said means including alined endwise yielding rock shafts forming hinge supports for the film clamps, cams on said shafts, and an endwise movable cam bar actuated by said cams, the lower jaw of one clamp being fast on its shaft and the lower aw of the other clamp having a lost motion connection with its shaft, said lost motion connection including an arm fast on the shaft arranged to be engaged bythe said last named lower jaw.

5. In a film splicer, a double shear block, a pair of independently swinging film clamps having cutting blades arranged to alternately coact with the shear block to so trim the film sections as to leave overlapping ends, and a presser blade carried by one 'lm clam in position to press the overlapping lm ends together on the shear block.

6. In a film splicer, a double shear block, a pair of independently swinging film clamps having cutting blades arranged to alternately coacty with the shearvblock to so trim the film sectitl is as to leave overlapping ends, a presser blade carried by one film clamp in positin to press the overlapping film ends together on the shear block, and a combined guard and guide carried by the other fihn clamp.

7 In a film splicer, a double shear block, a pair of independently swinging film clamps having cutting blades arranged to alternately coact with the shear block to so trim the film sections as to leave overlap- Aping ends, a presser blade carried by one film clamp in position to press the overlapping film ends together on the shear block', and a combined guard and guide carried by the said film clamp.

8. In a film splicer, a. double shear block, a pair of independently swinging clamps having cutting blades arranged to alternately coact with the shear block to so trim the film sections as to leave overlapping ends, a presser blade carried by one film clamp in position to press the yoverlapping tilm ends together on the shear block,

'and combined guards and guides carried by both film clamps.

9. In a film splicer, la double shear block, a pair of independently swinging film clamps arranged to alternately trim the film sections on the shear block so as to leave overlapping ends, means for automatically moving the film clamps laterally away from the shear block to lessen the overlap of the film ends a presser blade carried by one film clamp in position to'press the overlapping film ends together on the shear block, and a combined guard and guide carried by the other clamp.

10. In a film splicer, a double shear block, a pair of independently swinging film clamps arranged to alternately trim the lm 4 sections on the shear block so as t leave overlapping ends, means for automatically moving the film clamps laterally away from the shear block to lessen the overlap of the film ends, a presser blade carried by one film clamp in position to press the overlapping film ends together on the shear block,l and combined guards and vguides carried by both film clamps.

11. In a film splicer, a double shear block, a pair of independently swinging film clamps arranged to alternately trim the film sections onthe shear block so as to leave verlapping ends, and a preer blade oarried by one film clamp and having a knife edge arranged to press the overlapping film ends together on the shear block.

l2. In a film splicer, a double shear block, `a pair of independently swinging film clamps arranged to alternately trim the film sec-tions on the shear block so as to leave overlapping ends, a combined guard and guide carried by one of the film clamps and having a downwardly turned lip for engaging its film end, and a presser blade carried by the other film clamp and having a downwardly turned lip. provided With a knife edge for pressing the overlapping film ends together on the shear block.

13. In a film splicer, a double shear block, a pair of film clamps located upon opposite sides of the block, each cla-mp being arranged to move a film section into and out of engagement with the block, means carried by the Clamps arranged to coaet with the shear block for trimming the ends of the film sections, and a presser blade carried by one of lche film clamps in position to press the overlapping film ends together on the shear block.

In testimony, that I Claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed Imy name this 20th day of March, 1922.

FREDERICK CLARK GRISWOL-D. 

